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Knimrod
12-30-2005, 04:26 PM
MTV 'True Life' Documentary to Focus on Gun Owners
By Jeff Johnson
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
December 29, 2005

(CNSNews.com) - MTV, Music Television, has become known more for its "reality" shows and political activism than for playing music videos over the past decade. That trend will continue Thursday night with the airing of the latest episode of the network's "True Life" documentary series: "True Life: I'm a Gun Owner." While some firearms enthusiasts are giving MTV the benefit of the doubt, many gun rights advocates are already questioning the objectivity of the program.

MTV's "True Life" documentary series has told the "remarkable real-life stories of young people and the unusual subcultures they inhabit" -- from a ****sexual couple getting "married" in Massachusetts to young people "living a lie" by concealing their multiple, simultaneous romantic relationships or their sexual preference.

The Dec. 29 episode examines how "guns are changing the lives of four young people in very different ways," according to a promotional "blurb" emailed to Cybercast News Service by MTV publicist Diane Domondon.

"While most gun owners are responsible, on average every hour someone between the ages of 15 and 28 is cut down by a bullet," the promotional statement continued. "Whether it's for protection, crime or sport, guns are having a deep effect on the youth of our nation."

The promotional announcement did not indicate whether the phrase "cut down by a bullet" included injuries or only deaths. It also did not indicate whether the statistic included accidents or legitimate self-defense shootings by law enforcement officers and civilians.

The program features a convicted felon, a gang member, a hunter and a crime victim who is now an advocate of armed self-defense to present the various sides of the gun debate. Several gun rights advocates immediately challenged MTV's math.

"It's a bit offensive that 50 percent of the people they've chosen to feature as being 'gun owners' are people who are obviously breaking the law and probably acquired their firearms illegally," Erich Pratt of Gun Owners of America said of the gang member and the convict. "When you look at the statistics, it's only a fraction of 1 percent of the 'gun owners' in the country who ever use firearms in an illegitimate way."

Joe Waldron of the Citizens' Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said dividing the program's attention evenly between legitimate use and criminal misuse of firearms "really isn't balanced."

"Because, overwhelmingly, the typical handgun or the typical firearm is not used in a crime," Waldron explained. "What they should be doing is having interviews with something like 100 good gun owners and then one gangbanger, which would put it more into perspective."

Data from the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics indicate that approximately two-tenths of 1 percent of firearms available in the U.S. are used annually in the commission of a crime.

One of the founding members of the Second Amendment Sisters, Mari Thompson, said she is particularly disturbed by MTV's choice to feature a gang member in the program.

"If they know that these people are gangbangers and have these weapons, probably illegally, then they should not be putting them on TV. They should be giving their names and whereabouts to law enforcement," Thompson said. "Whoever has that kind of information, it's their duty to report that ... instead of putting them on TV, for goodness sakes."

A representative of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said the organization would prefer not to comment on the program without having seen it but would provide analysis later. A voicemail message for the anti-gun Violence Policy Center said the organization's offices are closed for the remainder of the year.

Marshall Eisen, MTV's executive producer for the program, was not available for comment. MTV was not able to provide Cybercast News Service with a review copy of the program, according to Domondon, because the final edit had not been completed. The production company that filmed, edited and field produced the documentary -- Shadowbox Films in New York -- referred all questions to MTV.

Pratt hopes that, despite what he sees as predetermined bias from the network, MTV will treat the two law-abiding gun owners fairly.

"Especially the young lady who is clearly interested in using guns for self-defense, that's extremely important since gun owners will use a firearm in self-defense about 7,000 times a day," Pratt said. "Obviously, that's people's best defense in a moment of crisis."

"Hopefully, she will be an articulate spokesperson for our side of the issue," Waldron added. "Then, of course, obviously, the question is: 'Are the good, pithy things going to make it onto the editing room floor, or are they going to come out over the air?'"

MTV's "True Life: I'm a Gun Owner" is scheduled for Thursday at 10 p.m. (Eastern). Cybercast News Service will publish a follow-up report detailing reaction to the program on Friday, Dec. 30.

Link to story (http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200512\NAT2005 1229a.html)

Cherokee
12-30-2005, 04:46 PM
Just to let you guys know, it will be on tonight ( Fri. ) at 9pm. I just set my TiVo to record it.

gwhurst66
12-31-2005, 08:03 AM
I watched this show with my 13 year old daughter and my wife. My daughters have all been trained on the results of using a firearm. My 13 year old daughter made a comment during the show about the gang banger and the thief. She said " It was there own fault for the things that were happening to them. That they shouldn't be so stuppid and make decisions that put there life in harm to where they have to carry a weapon to protect them self from people that they have already caused issues with, and it is there own fault so they should get all the punnishment they deserve.

She said this to her mother after her mom had made a statement about all the kids that get killed by firearms daily.

It was a good show but I was not impressed by the how much time they spent on the criminal or the gang banger.

George

Knimrod
12-31-2005, 12:02 PM
Gun Group Says MTV 'Fair' to Gun Owners, Not Facts
By Jeff Johnson
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
December 30, 2005

(CNSNews.com) - A pro-gun lobbying group is complimenting MTV for treating law-abiding gun owners fairly in its "True Life: I'm a Gun Owner" documentary, which aired Thursday night. But Gun Owners of America argued that the producers featured misleading and inaccurate statistics and focused almost exclusively on anti-gun anecdotes, giving viewers a false impression about the effects of gun ownership in America.

"Guns are a source of security, status, enjoyment and pride, but they also destroy lives," the program's narrator began. "Should one be in your home?"

"They very well answered that question, unfortunately, in the minds of many of their viewers that 'No, you shouldn't have a gun in your home,'" Erich Pratt of Gun Owners of America said, "because there were no positive anecdotes or statistics that were presented."

The documentary followed Lennie, a college student who was attacked in her home at 17 years of age and now carries a handgun for self-defense; Greg, a hunter pursuing caribou in Alaska; "Lucky," a gang member who owns and carries guns illegally; and Gilbert, a former gang member paralyzed in a gang-related shooting who now works with inner-city youth.

Pratt complemented the producers in one regard.

"It seems that they did treat fairly the two legitimate gun owners, the two 'good guys,'" Pratt allowed. "But they didn't even give you one legitimate case of self-defense with a gun, which is a shame considering that there are, on average, 7,000 such cases every day."

Four young people whose lives were 'affected by guns'

Lucky explained part of his motivation for carrying one or more guns illegally, even though he knows doing so could land him in prison.

"I wake up every morning not knowing where I'm gonna get my next dollar from. I hate being broke, but I'm not gonna work, so you put the math together. I'm gonna get it some kinda way," Lucky said. "Guns make things a little bit more easily accessible."

After being acquitted of an armed robbery charge during a trial shown early in the documentary, Lucky was later arrested and convicted of felony weapons possession and sentenced to up to three years in prison. Throughout the program, he stressed the "need" to illegally possess firearms to protect himself from rival gang members.

Greg described guns as "the tools that we use to enjoy the sport of hunting" and explained that he was taught to shoot at 6 years of age by his father, began duck hunting at age 10 and killed his first deer when he was 12.

"I feel electrified when I'm out there," Greg said as he prepared for a caribou hunt in Alaska. "I just love the challenge of the hunt."

After successfully tracking and killing a caribou, Greg decided to stay in Alaska and become a hunting guide. His first clients were also successful in their outing.

Gilbert, the former gang member paralyzed from the waist down when he was shot during a gang turf war, repeatedly blamed guns for the many injuries and deaths resulting from gang-related attacks that plague his city.

"That's the kind of hunting that's done in Los Angeles. You go out and you hunt humans," Gilbert said. "There's (sic) no bears around here, no moose. There's (sic) human beings."

Mentoring more than 50 boys and young men through a program called "Caught in the Crossfire," Gilbert tries to convince them of the positive alternatives to gang life. His aversion to firearms is so great that he teaches the younger boys not to say "the 'g' word" because, as one young participant explains, "G-u-n is a bad word."

Lennie is transferring to another college away from her hometown and is buying a handgun for personal protection. Cameras accompany her as she returns to the neighborhood where she was almost raped in her home by an intruder.

She explains that the attacker did not complete the sexual assault only because he thought Lennie's mother, who interrupted the crime, was armed.

"I am purchasing a handgun and getting my concealed carry permit so that I will be protected if anything were to happen. I don't want to be afraid to leave my house. I don't want to be afraid to be alone, and that handgun will be on my hip making me feel safe," Lennie explained.

"I need my gun," she added. "I need it to live in my apartment by myself to feel safe."

Through the course of the documentary, Lennie is shown practicing with, cleaning, carrying and storing her gun. In the last segment in which she appears, she is shown taking a martial arts class and expresses her "discomfort" with regularly carrying her pistol for self-defense.

No counterbalancing evidence or statistics

Pratt repeatedly stressed his belief that the two law-abiding gun owners featured in the program were treated fairly. What was not fair, in his opinion, was allowing Gilbert to repeat anti-gun propaganda with no response from the pro-gun community.

"The fact that there was no counterbalancing evidence or statistics to go against the so-called statistics that Gilbert was providing, I think that it was certainly very slanted in that respect," Pratt explained.

As an example, Pratt pointed to the explanation that the possibility of the presence of a firearm ended the attempted rape of Lennie.

"It's raised as a question mark that the thought of a gun may have averted her attempted rape," Pratt noted. "It would have been good to point out the existing evidence on that topic."

That evidence includes a 1979 study by the Carter Justice Department, which found that out of 32,000 attempted rapes of unarmed women, approximately 33 percent were completed. When a woman was armed with a gun or a knife, however, only 3 percent of the rapists were successful.

"A statistic like that could have really bolstered her side," Pratt added, "although there was really no one there to make it because you had two average people who were gun owners versus a well-rehearsed anti-gun spokesman."

Pratt argued that the program could have selected someone who was better able to articulate the evidence in support of gun ownership for self-defense, rather than allowing the anti-gun Gilbert to be the only person citing statistics in support of his opinion.

"They ignored the fact that there are many, many legitimate cases of self-defense," Pratt concluded. "In fact, when you compare [legitimate, self-defense use versus criminal misuse], guns are used 80 times more often to save lives than to take lives."

That statistic is reached by comparing the number of murders committed with firearms each year from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports to the number of self-defense gun uses reported annually in studies by the Justice Department and various university economists and criminologists. A self-defense gun "use" is defined as threatening the use of, displaying, aiming or firing a gun to stop a criminal act.

MTV officials were not available to comment on the program either before or after it aired. The producers of the documentary, Shadowbox Films of New York, referred all questions to MTV.

Cybercast News Service also contacted the Violence Policy Center and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence to obtain a response to "True Life: I'm a Gun Owner" from gun control advocates. The VPC's offices are closed for the remainder of the year. The Brady Campaign said it would not have anyone available to immediately respond to the program.

Link to story (http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=%5CCulture%5Carchive%5C200512%5 CCUL20051230a.html)

Barbara
12-31-2005, 12:32 PM
I watched a little bit of it last night and the parts I saw were pretty balanced. Can't say how the whole show was but overalll, it didn't seem bad.

M1911A1
12-31-2005, 01:17 PM
I will admit that I did not watch the program. One thing stuck me in reading this thread. Where the program is reported as saying:

"Guns are a source of security, status, enjoyment and pride, but they also destroy lives," the program's narrator began. "Should one be in your home?"
That could easily be changed to:
"Automobiles are a source of security, status, enjoyment and pride, but they also destroy lives. Should one be in your home?"

Knimrod
01-09-2006, 12:32 AM
Blog: MTV I’m a gunowner follow up
January 8th, 2006
http://www.saysuncle.com/

I want my Empty Vee!

I covered MTV’s I’m a gun owner several times (http://www.saysuncle.com/index.php?s=MTV). A new development is that Jane, a woman who claims to be the mother of the girl featured on MTV’s I’m a gun owner, left a long comment here (http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2005/12/31/mtv_on_gun_owners/). She says MTV lied to her daughter and misrepresented many events, notably that she hung up her gun. She did not. Good. Jane wants to get the message out, so I’ll reprint it here:


I understand that my response to this post(s) is a few weeks past the initial discussion. However, I was sent this link(s) only recently as a matter of interest, and I have found the varied assumptions made by so many people to be very disturbing. Please forgive me if I mention topics not covered in this particular message as I am responding to several message boards in one.

First of all, I am the mother of the young girl featured on MTV True Life “I’m a Gun Owner.” I would like to think that many of you are intelligent enough to understand that as with any film making endeavor, there is a great deal of creative license put to use – the result being that in many cases, the reality is far different from the impression one is left with from the film. However, since so many people have jumped on board to make accusations regarding the show, let me clarify a few things right up front.

1) My daughter is 23 years old. The filming for the MTV show was done in July through October of 2004 – at the time she was 22 years old. I do not have any idea why the episode took over a year to get on the air. We were initially given an air date of October 2004, yet despite that, it didn’t make its way to the show until December 2005. None-the-less, she was certainly of legal age even a year and a half ago to obtain a CHP (which she has, legally, despite the fact that although they filmed her receiving it – this was not shown on the air)

2) As for the segment which showed her putting the gun into her purse and then immediately showed her in the bar, there was a great deal of footage left out between the two segments – the most significant being that which showed her putting the gun into her glove compartment and explaining to the film crew that you could not legally carry a gun into a bar. As for her drinking – at no time was my daughter armed while consuming alcoholic beverages. Once again, what couldn’t of course be shown, as it was not in keeping with the message of the film, was the fact that she was not alone the night the gun was put into the glove compartment, nor was she in possession of the firearm at any time after the point she walked into the bar. Additionally, at no time since that particular footage was shot, has she taken the gun – even in her car – to any nightclub, bar or party. The segment was essentially “staged ” to show her going out alone at night – and having the gun for protection, and again – much footage was left out which truly shouldn’t have been.

3) She and I both also have issues with the message at the end of her segment that left viewers with the impression that she would no longer need her gun for protection or would not be carrying it. In defense of the filmmakers, they had a job to do – they had to present an evolving story that showed her dedication to firearms and the “reason” why – and her moving forward beyond that. What the show could not delve into for time factors alone is that my daughter has been shooting since she was eight years old, is an active gun rights advocate, and would never choose self defense over her right to own and/or carry a gun. In the past, many years before the show, she has been interviewed by the NRA and has spoken at the State Capitol. Her belief and steadfast support of the Second Amendment will not go away simply because she has taken self defense classes. Yes, it is something she was interested in, in particular for those times where she is unable to be armed – such as mentioned above when she is at or leaving a bar or nightclub, or on campus where firearms are forbidden. However, showing this part of her story did not strengthen their “plot” for lack of a better term, so therefore, it was not included

4) Yes, I agree that there were points in the film that Lennie came across appearing fearful, and as her Mother, but more importantly, as someone who has watched her heal and evolve beyond what happened; this made me more unhappy than anything else I saw in the show. If you were to meet Lennie on the street, you would never by any stretch of the imagination have any idea of what she has gone through. Yes – there are aftereffects from the event that will live with her forever – but they are not visible to the public. On the inside, she will hurt forever because of what this man robbed her of – she didn’t get to graduate with her class, she had to go out on homebound instruction while she healed from the attack, and consequently, was mailed her diploma – forever missing that opportunity that should be every child’s right to walk down the aisle and be handed her diploma by the administration and to celebrate with her friends. She also missed her senior prom – being on homebound instruction prohibited her from attending school functions. These are things that no one will ever be able to give back to her – memories forever denied to her. That is the scar that is left. Beyond that, Lennie chose to become proactive rather than being a silent victim. She used her experience to speak out to other young people about what had happened to her with the hope that she would able to maybe help some other young girl from going through what she did. Her most often repeated phrase was “If I can help just one other young girl from having to go through this, then what I went through wasn’t in vain.” This was her way of healing and dealing with the experience, and through her activism, she has healed wonderfully. She is a bright, active, responsible, outgoing, beautiful young girl, who holds her head high and is not easily intimidated or frightened. Yes – the show repeatedly focused on her comments “I need the gun to feel safe”, ‘I need the gun to be able to live alone” and several other phrases mentioned during the footage – and I felt that was very misleading, as although she obviously made these comments, the hours of additional footage surrounding them as well as the conversations that both proceeded and followed those comments were not included to show the amazing strength that she has and how she has moved beyond the fear that enveloped her (our) lives immediately following the attack.

5) One of the message boards I was sent mentioned that someone with more experience and knowledge could have presented a better case for gun rights. I will be the first to admit that my daughter is not an expert; she is not employed by any gun rights groups. However, she speaks from her heart, and her knowledge has not come without years of research and study. I feel redundant in once again having to remind you that there were many, many hours of footage shot that were not included in the final film. Yes - statistics were cited; yes - there was much discussion about the fact that her assailant not knowing if I was armed was the ultimate factor that prevented her from actually being raped that night. In a debate or discussion, Lennie will bowl you over with facts and figures to not merely back up her beliefs, but convince even the most hardened skeptic to at least consider her point of view.

I have to admit, I feel as if this post is almost useless. I know that as her mother, much of what I have said will be taken in the stance of “a mother defending her young” and yes, there is much truth to that, for there is nothing I would not do to protect my children. However, I urge each of you who read this to think for just a moment of the truth behind the facts I have stated here, and to once again please remember that there is always more to the story that what is presented by one side. Yes, I am her mother, but I am also her friend, and I, more than anyone beyond Lennie herself - know the story behind the film.

As for the show itself, MTV and the filmmakers, I will add this for thought. A gun rights group that my daughter and I are members of initially contacted her about being on the show and put her in touch with the film company. Her first reaction was no – we both knew that MTV has always been heinously liberal and were concerned that her views and opinions would be greatly distorted. It was only after numerous and repeated phone calls from the film company, assuring her that her side would be told truthfully and without prejudice that she finally succumbed and agreed to do the show. MTV has been surprisingly supportive throughout this – at one point when being interviewed by a local newspaper here during the actual filming, they completely supported Lennie in her choice to own a firearm. As for the filmmakers themselves, they have been wonderful. During the three to four months that they became a daily part of our lives, Lennie and I both gained a great deal of respect for them. They were genuinely interested in her opinions and listened fairly and avidly as she explained why the Second Amendment is so important in our society, both on a personal as well as a national level. We went out filming twice, once at the range with the NRA instructor, and once at her Dad’s farm - and on that occasion, she even taught one of the film makers to shoot and celebrated with him as he learned he was an amazingly good shot. Yes, the film was very focused and left out so very much detail that was critical to her story – at the same time, you have to remember that they filmed her for over three months – the amount of footage they had to pour through and weed out was staggering. They were given a theme to follow – and so the footage that was eventually chosen had to be in keeping with the story MTV wanted to present – and I think Shadowbox Films did a wonderful job in making sure that there were many good points brought out in Lennie’s segment. The bottom line is that it was an hour long show that included commercials, so that only leaves what – fifty minutes tops – for the actual show itself. Divide that by the four people showcased and you have less than fifteen minutes per storyline – there was simply no way to bring out everything that was important without making the show appear disconnected. Given that fact and the fact that with any show – you have to have a certain amount of “shock value” or “community issue” focus – I again think they did a wonderful job. Yes, I wish she had come across as stronger, yes, I wish they had cited a few statistics, yes, I wish they had made some points more clear – but in all honestly, they did far better than I had feared, and my hats off to them for ensuring that Lennie came across as believable and sincere as well as showing the world a very, very important reason for the Second Amendment – that self defense IS a basic human right. The amount of email we have received complimenting her on her stance, in many instances even stating that they now understand more clearly just how important the Second Amendment truly is – speaks for itself. As for the other segments that focused on gangs, etc – the reaction we have received personally is that if anything, it strengthened Lennie’s own portion of the show, giving her more credence and believability.

Number 2 and 3 are of particular concern to me. But that’s about what I’d expect from MTV. She was nice enough to give me the link to her daughter’s pages. They are here (http://www.geocities.com/customsites4you/NoMoreGunControlMain.htm) and here (http://www.geocities.com/govtforthepeople/index.htm). Judging from the pages, it doesn’t look like she’s stopped packing or advocating for gun rights. I’ve exchanged a few pleasant emails with Jane and have no reason to doubt her account.

Link to blog entry (http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2006/01/08/mtv_im_a_gunowner_follow_up/)